Ding ding ding...
As the loud bell signaling the end of class reverberated across the campus, the noise of a great number of students suddenly erupted.
"Wei Wen, wake up. Stop sleeping, class is over." Luo Feng patted his deskmate, Wei Wen, who was seated beside him.
"It's over already?" Wei Wen opened his sleepy eyes and couldn't help but smile. "Let's go then."
After transmigrating into the Swallowed Star, he had become Luo Feng's best friend, Wei Wen.
It wasn't that Wei Wen didn't want to strive for greatness, but after over a decade of relentless effort, he had come to terms with his mediocre talent. Left with no other choice, he had decided to just coast by.
Fortunately, he had Luo Feng—a veritable powerhouse in the making. Wei Wen figured that as long as he maintained a good relationship with Luo Feng, he could live out his life in peace.
[Congratulations to the host for lying low for 6 years and successfully awakening the Lie Flat System!]
"Six years?" Wei Wen clenched his fists and took a deep breath.
Three years in junior high, three years in high school... If he had known that lying flat was the trigger for awakening the system, he would have given up trying long ago. Why bother struggling for over ten years just to prove his own inadequacy?
But with his poor cultivation talent, Wei Wen had already accepted his fate; otherwise, he wouldn't have been left behind like this.
Now that he had awakened the Lie Flat System, however, his eyes lit up with anticipation. Who knew how to lie flat better than he did?
[Lie Flat System]
[Currently Available Friends: 1]
[Reward Rules: After binding a friend, each time the bound friend's strength increases, you will receive various rewards—even while lying flat.]
'Awesome!'
'Incredibly awesome!'
This setup was straightforward and brutally efficient. Compared to his previous plan of just clinging to Luo Feng's coattails and waiting to die, this offered a much simpler and more direct path to slacking.
'System, bind Luo Feng immediately!"
[You have chosen to bind your friend, Luo Feng. Strength feedback will commence shortly...]
"Luo Feng, my future success rests entirely on you!" Wei Wen looked at Luo Feng with hopeful eyes.
Cultivation?
Not a chance in this lifetime!
After all, he had spent 12 grueling years confirming just how little talent he possessed. Now, by leveraging Luo Feng's progress, he could steadily grow stronger himself. He was on the verge of taking off!
…
In the days that followed, Wei Wen received constant notifications of various feedback rewards.
[Your friend Luo Feng is studying diligently. Your knowledge is steadily improving.]
[Your friend Luo Feng earned 100 yuan from tutoring. You have received 200 yuan.]
(Note: Repeated, non-giftable transactions do not count.)
[Your friend Luo Feng is practicing his Movement Technique. Your comprehension of Movement Techniques is steadily improving.]
[Your friend Luo Feng is practicing swordsmanship. Your comprehension of swordsmanship is steadily improving.]
[Your friend Luo Feng is tempering his physical strength. Your physical strength is steadily improving.]
Though the rewards were modest, like a light drizzle, Wei Wen felt deeply satisfied.
After all, the feeling of receiving rewards while lying flat was fundamentally different from the grueling effort he had once exerted.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye. Before he knew it, Wei Wen's strength had gradually improved, and his understanding of Movement Techniques and swordsmanship had also increased significantly.
…
June 6th marked the first day of the college entrance exams.
As scheduled, Wei Wen and Luo Feng, students of Third High School, were to take their exams at First High School.
Wei Wen's goal in taking the exam was simple: he wanted to see just how much the system would reward him through feedback once Luo Feng's strength improved after his awakening.
"Luo Feng, about the exam..." Wei Wen gave Luo Feng a strange look.
Although he knew Luo Feng might encounter some troubles, those very troubles would ultimately be a boon for him. In the end, Wei Wen decided not to elaborate.
"You should worry about yourself. I haven't seen you put in any effort these past few years," Luo Feng said with a sigh.
"I'll... do my best!" After a moment of silence, Wei Wen didn't say more.
It was true that he hadn't worked hard in recent years. Even with the temporary feedback from Luo Feng's studies, he'd probably only score well enough for a second-tier college.
Kacha~
While Wei Wen and Luo Feng were talking, the gates of First High School slowly opened.
"Attention, all candidates: You may now enter the examination grounds and begin preparations," a loud voice immediately announced.
"Yeah." Wei Wen glanced at Luo Feng, who was standing beside him. "Luo Feng, let's go in and take the exam."
Wei Wen and Luo Feng followed the crowd and, after being checked by the invigilators, finally entered their respective examination rooms.
When the exam began, the test papers were distributed.
After just a quick scan of the paper in front of him, Wei Wen felt a headache coming on. There were many questions he simply couldn't answer.
But he wasn't too worried. After all, his goal this time wasn't to achieve a high score.
Because he had bound Luo Feng, even if he completely slacked off in the future, as long as Luo Feng grew stronger, he would continue to receive various rewards.
He had to admit, the Lie Flat System was truly fantastic!
The exam time flew by, and two days passed in a flash. It was now the final exam—the one Wei Wen had been anticipating the most.
During this exam, Luo Feng would begin to awaken as a Spiritual Master, and Wei Wen would receive his corresponding reward.
This mathematics test was exceptionally difficult. Every candidate was frowning, including Luo Feng. His mindset began to shift subtly.
"This could be troublesome," Luo Feng thought, feeling the difficulty of the questions and furrowing his brow. "But look on the bright side... Actually, the harder it is for me, the better!"
For true academic masters, easier questions made it harder to widen the gap against weaker students, which slightly benefited the latter.
The more difficult the questions, the easier it was to create distance, which was obviously more advantageous for top students.
Time passed quickly. Luo Feng began to think and answer questions at a rapid pace.
After about an hour, he finally finished the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank sections—a testament to just how challenging this exam was.
"Huh?"
Stumped by the difficulty of the first major problem, Luo Feng began to calculate, think, and work through it on scratch paper.
The mental stimulation from the exam's difficulty caused Luo Feng's brain activity to skyrocket.
Moreover, as a latent Spiritual Master, Luo Feng underwent an initial awakening approximately every six years.
By now, it was time for his third awakening.
The awakening of a Spiritual Master was a painful process. The pulse data on the watch worn on Luo Feng's left wrist began to soar.
120...140...160...180...200...220...240...260...
As his pulse and blood pressure surged, Luo Feng's sea of consciousness was also greatly affected. Wisps of spiritual power began to overflow from the dark golden orb within his mind.
Generally, a spiritual master's power gathers in the sea of consciousness because their physical body is too weak to contain all of it.
With the initial signs of awakening, Luo Feng suddenly felt his heartbeat accelerate, and his entire body was wracked with even greater pain.
As the pain intensified, even Luo Feng's formidable willpower couldn't withstand it, and he collapsed into a coma on the spot.
However, this coma was entirely a good thing for him. Firstly, his strength rose to the level of a Warrior, and secondly, he had initially awakened as a Spiritual Master.
With further stimulation, it was highly possible for him to achieve a full awakening as a Spiritual Master.
[Ding! Your bound friend Luo Feng has initially awakened as a Spiritual Master. You have obtained a Planetary Level 1, Dark Golden Orb and have successfully awakened as a Spiritual Master.]
...
In truth, judging from Luo Feng's experience of awakening as a spiritual master, it isn't entirely a good thing.
At the very least, the awakening process is accompanied by excruciating pain, which would be unbearable for most people.
Wei Wen, who was in another examination room, had already learned of Luo Feng's situation through the system's feedback reward.
The pain of awakening suddenly caused Wei Wen's blood pressure to spike and his heartbeat to accelerate.
Logically, with the system's enhancement, his mental power was already higher than Luo Feng's, so the pain of awakening shouldn't have been any less intense.
Even someone with Luo Feng's iron will couldn't endure it, let alone Wei Wen, whose willpower was comparatively weak.
But to his surprise, Wei Wen found that when he awakened as a spiritual master, he only experienced mild pain—nowhere near as severe as Luo Feng's.
Wei Wen couldn't help but feel relieved at this weakening of the negative feedback.
"Although it's a bit uncomfortable, the system seems to favor positive feedback. This level of negative impact is manageable for me," Wei Wen revealed a slight smile.
Every time Luo Feng grew stronger or encountered opportunities, it was never a smooth journey.
If he remembered correctly, the agony Luo Feng endured while refining the Blood Luo Crystal and the Star Tower—both mentally and consciously—was something an ordinary person could never withstand.
If that kind of intensified feedback were to befall Wei Wen, given his willpower, he might very well perish on the spot.
After all, compared to Luo Feng, his will and mentality were far inferior.
But now, with the negative feedback significantly weakened, Wei Wen felt a secret relief, knowing he wouldn't die for some inexplicable reason.
After calming down, Wei Wen began to carefully examine the system's feedback and his own condition.
First of all, like Luo Feng, Wei Wen had initially awakened as a spiritual master.
Moreover, thanks to the system's feedback, the spiritual power hidden within Wei Wen's sea of consciousness was even more powerful than Luo Feng's!
If Luo Feng's rapid growth as a spiritual master could only last until the peak of the God of War level, Wei Wen could directly reach the Planetary level.
Additionally, while Luo Feng's initial awakening increased his punching power by about 300 kilograms, Wei Wen felt his own strength had improved even more.
This was likely because the mental power he received as feedback was at the Planetary level, meaning more spiritual energy was latent within his sea of consciousness.
Previously, Wei Wen's strength might have only been at the intermediate student level, but now his punching power had directly reached about 1,200 kilograms.
The requirement for the Quasi-Warrior exam is only 900 kilograms of punching power.
Of course, the Quasi-Warrior assessment isn't just about punching power; it also tests speed and nerve reaction speed.
The exam soon concluded. Upon leaving the examination room, Wei Wen heard news that a candidate had lost consciousness inside.
It didn't take a genius to figure out it was Luo Feng—after all, the system had just given him feedback!
…
Hospital.
After Luo Feng regained consciousness, his parents and younger brother quickly gathered around him. Worried that he was too disheartened, they began to comfort him.
"Xiao Feng, don't blame yourself for this college entrance exam. It was that headache!"
"Exactly, this condition hasn't acted up for years. Why did it have to happen during the college entrance exam?"
After coming to, Luo Feng managed to force a smile and accompanied his father and brother out of the hospital lobby.
Although he felt dejected, he didn't want to pass this negativity on to his family.
While Wei Wen felt there was no need to worry excessively about Luo Feng, he still owed his own spiritual awakening partly to Luo Feng's hard work. So, he went to the hospital to visit and offer his condolences.
"Wei Wen, thank you for coming. I failed the exam this time. How did yours go?" Luo Feng was genuinely touched to see Wei Wen rush over.
"Even if you passed out in the exam room, my grades probably still wouldn't be as good as yours, so don't worry about it," Wei Wen chided lightly.
"Besides, even if your results aren't great, there's another path—becoming a warrior!"
Luo Feng possessed a strong ability to adapt. While not making the undergraduate cutoff in the college entrance exam might be a significant blow to his future plans, falling into a coma wasn't entirely bad—it had, after all, greatly enhanced his physical fitness.
Compared to exam results, one's own strength was clearly more important.
Thinking of this, the corners of Luo Feng's mouth curled up slightly, restoring his confidence!
"It doesn't matter if I can't get into military academy; it's not the end of the world," Luo Feng said with a smile.
"This coma turned out to be a blessing in disguise. My strength has improved tremendously. I'm absolutely confident I can pass the Quasi-Warrior assessment and the combat test to become a true warrior!"
In fact, if he had continued training step by step without initially awakening as a spiritual master, Luo Feng estimated it would have taken him another year or two of hard work to reach the level of a Quasi-Warrior.
But this initial spiritual awakening, stimulated by telekinetic power, had dramatically increased his strength.
"A warrior?" Luo Feng's parents and younger brother couldn't help but be astonished at the confidence in his words!
What did a warrior represent?
Warriors represented the most transcendent group in human society, symbolizing strength, authority, wealth, and status!
And if Luo Feng became a warrior, he could bring various benefits to the family and change their destiny.
Seeing Luo Feng regain his confidence made Wei Wen look forward to his future performance even more.
After all, this was the nature of his Lie Flat system's golden finger. If Luo Feng died, he could only forcefully revive him.
His goal was to have Luo Feng work more efficiently for him, making his own lying flat lifestyle more comfortable and effortless.
Therefore, whenever possible, he needed to constantly urge Luo Feng to strive harder, so that both of them could have a better future.
…
Extreme Martial Club Hall.
"If I want to constantly urge Luo Feng, it's best if I become a warrior like him." Wei Wen looked up at the Extreme Martial Club Hall in Yi'an District ahead, swiped his card, and strode inside.
"To become a warrior, I must first pass the Quasi-Warrior assessment, which requires at least reaching the advanced senior student level anyway."
He had just finished the college entrance exam today, so he had time to get his advanced senior student certification.
With his current strength after the spiritual awakening, obtaining an advanced senior student certification should be very simple.
As soon as Wei Wen—wearing an intermediate senior student badge—entered the large training hall for advanced senior students, he immediately attracted the attention of the instructor and a dozen or so advanced senior students present.
"You're only an intermediate senior student. You can't enter the advanced senior student training building without reason. Are you here to take the advanced senior student assessment?" the instructor asked as Wei Wen approached.
"Yes!" Wei Wen nodded.
"Then follow me." The instructor nodded and led Wei Wen to the Punching Power Testing Machine in the corner.
"There's only one test for the advanced senior student certification: your punching power must meet the standard. Are you ready?"
"Ready!" Wei Wen took a deep breath and relaxed completely.
Then, his right fist shot out like a cannonball, tracing an arc before striking the target of the punching power testing machine.
...
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